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Species
Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758
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The familiar mallard is the most numerous duck in Britain (3), and is the ancestor of the domestic duck (2). Both male and female mallards are easily identified by the presence of a dark blue band on the wing known as a 'speculum', which is bordered above and below with white (2). Males and females are distinct; males have a metallic bottle-green head, a crisp white neck-collar and a rich purplish-brown breast. The upperparts are grey, the flanks are somewhat paler, and the central feathers of the black tail are curled smartly upwards (2). In contrast, females are brown, with streaks of darker brown and buff (4). Juveniles are very similar to females, but lack the speculum (2). It is the female mallard who produces the well-known loud 'quack-quack' call; males produce a softer 'rhaeb', particularly when alert, and a 'piu' whistle during courtship (2).
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Rights holder/Author | Copyright Wildscreen 2003-2008 |
Source | http://www.arkive.org/mallard/anas-platyrhynchos/ |
Mallards can be found almost anywhere in the world. They dominate the Northern Hemisphere, and can be found easly in Oceana, Asia, Africa, South America and many islands
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native ); ethiopian (Native ); neotropical (Native ); australian (Native ); oceanic islands (Native )
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Anas_platyrhynchos/ |
Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) BREEDS: Alaska, Mackenzie Delta, southern Keewatin, and Maine south to southern California, Mexico, Oklahoma, and Virginia. Has expanded range in eastern North America (especially in the north) in recent decades (see Heusmann 1991 for a detailed account of status in the Atlantic Flyway). WINTERS: southern Alaska and southern Canada to southern U.S., Mexico, Cuba, occasionally Hawaii (AOU 1983). Half or more of the Mississippi Flyway's 3.2 million mallards winter in the lower Mississippi Valley, from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to the Gulf of Mexico. Also occurs in the Palearctic. Many semiferal populations exist. Availablity of grain allows wintering north of pre-settlement range; now rare in Central America.
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The mallard feeds mainly on vegetable matter, which is usually obtained by upending (tipping head first into the water, so that the tail remains visible above the surface) (3). During autumn and winter they may feed in fields, some distance from water (3). Breeding may take place throughout the year, but usually occurs after March (4). In overcrowded water bodies, such as parks, breeding males may attack females in order to mate; this may lead to the death of the female in some cases. This behaviour is rare in truly wild mallards, however (6). The hollow nest, lined with grasses, feathers and leaves (5), is typically made close to water and is often concealed by vegetation (4). Between 10-12 pale green, blue or creamy white eggs are produced (although as many as 16 per clutch have been known), and are incubated for 28-29 days by the female (4). The downy chicks are led to the water by the female shortly after hatching and are cared for by the female for up to 8 weeks (4).
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Rights holder/Author | Copyright Wildscreen 2003-2008 |
Source | http://www.arkive.org/mallard/anas-platyrhynchos/ |
Mallards live in a variety of habitats. Most often they live along waterways with plentiful vegetation, such as marshes, ponds, small lakes, coastal bays, and estuaries. They graze in stubble fields and nest in grasslands away from the water's edge.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial ; freshwater
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds; rivers and streams; coastal
Wetlands: marsh ; swamp
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2012, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Anas_platyrhynchos/ |
Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.
Estimated Number of Occurrences: > 300
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Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Anas+platyrhynchos |
Comments: The recent decline is not simply a reflection of reduced number of wet ponds for breeding (Johnson and Shaffer 1987).
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Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Anas+platyrhynchos |
vegetation, insects, worms, gastropods, arthropods, grains
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Source | http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=148791 |
More info for the term: tree
Mallards prefer lowland habitat such as marshes, ponds, small lakes,
sheltered coastal bays and estuaries, shallow pools, tidal flats, and
protected coves [12,15]. They also graze in stubble fields and inhabit
low-elevation mountain lakes and streams. Mallards primarily nest in
grasslands away from the water's edge but have been known to use old
bird nests, tree cavities, rights-of-way, and meadows with woody
vegetation [2].
>1,000,000 individuals
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Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Anas+platyrhynchos |